Jesus Christ Superstar

It's difficult to know where to start with this review. As a life-long fan of this 45 year old rock opera, I was literally jumping out of my skin when promotional videos of this production sprang up a couple of months ago, advertising that the roles of Jesus, Judas (et al) would be portrayed by females and Mary Magdalene by a male performer. Given this twist, it's almost unthinkable to remember that the original concept album and stage production garnered a wave of controversy for its presumed blasphemy. The fact that this – 'the greatest story ever told' is so open to continual artistic reinvention these days speaks pretty well of modern society and keeps the source material relevant, affecting and thought-provoking – on many levels, even to atheists like myself. 

Using the torturous insecurities, peer pressure and bullying of life in a modern day high school as it's analogous theme certainly suited the mean age of the cast – and the uniforms and attitude reinforced the 'rock' vibe, giving this treatment a burst of pure adrenaline from the get go.

The gender reversal is set up in the opening scene, as the girls stage their rebellion – a nice commentary on the rise of feminist empowerment. Bee Haslam doesn't so much burst onto the stage as Judas, rather, she vocally arm-wrestles the role away from her male counterpart – who begins singing “Heaven on their Minds” first. Similar switcharoo takes place with Jacqui Grunden in the role of Jesus. This was a fabulous tool for re-orienting the audience – and from the moment both girls seized their considerable power on stage – all bets were off. Ben Poole's presence as Mary required no 'easing in' whatsoever. The performances from all three were particularly moving. There's no doubt about it – when it comes to selling songs of pain and sacrifice – you have to hand it to the ladies. I don't think I fully realised this fact, until I witnessed Grunden's stunning vocals and raw vulnerability in performing 'Gethsemane'. It was exquisitely heart-breaking.

While not completely reversing all the gender roles (Peter, Simon and the unnamed apostles are played by females, the High Priests and other named characters remained male) the seamless fluidity of the gender roles throughout served to highlight the fact that – at the end of the day, gender is irrelevant when it comes to great and relatable story telling - and spine tingling vocal performances. Skilful, empathic character portrayal need be the only prerequisite. All in all this is an exhilarating production, with every named character making the absolute most of their 'spotlight' moments. To name one – requires naming them all. There is little doubt you'll be hearing more from all of them in the future anyway.

Rose Cooper